Today’s busy parents face many concerns. Among those challenges is the search for safe and dependable childcare that is both flexible and affordable. For many parents the solution is hosting a Cultural Care au pair.

Cultural Care Au Pair’s childcare and cultural exchange program offers families flexible, live-in childcare with a unique international perspective. Your au pair lives with you as a member of your family and your children benefit from a one-to-one relationship with a committed and caring live-in companion. All Cultural Care au pairs are between the ages of 18 and 26, proficient in conversational English and have documented childcare experience.

Cultural Care Au Pair

• Has over 20 years of experience in intercultural childcare
• Has successfully placed over 75,000 au pairs into welcoming American homes
• Has a dedicated worldwide staff on-call 24 hours a day
• Provides local support for both au pairs and host families
• Is U.S. government designated and regulated

This is an alternate meeting for March if you can not attend the bowling outing.  This will be a kickboxing self defense class at the American Marital Arts Studio in Whippany.  Please plan to be there at 6:45pm as the class will begin at 7:00pm.

 
Sunday, March 21st:

American Martial Arts

Whippany, NJ 07981

http://www.amakarate.com

Wonderful instructor who will teach us some self defense techniques and kickboxing . You will feel confident defending yourself anywhere you go. Special prices will be offered to those wishing to join the gym for kick boxing or any other class.

The charge for this meeting is $10 per person. You are welcome to bring friends who are interested and participation is absolutely required. Please wear comfortable workout clothing and sneakers. Please pay attention to the instructor sand be respectful. Questions are welcomed, so don’t be shy. Safety meetings are mandatory and are a State Department requirement, so please plan accordingly.

You can get onto Route 10 by the mall, but it will take you longer, the faster way is as follows:

Directions: Make your way to Morris Avenue via Millburn Avenue West:

 Turn RIGHT on MORRIS AVE/NJ-124/CR-527. Continue to follow NJ-124 W. 0.5 mi
 Merge onto NJ-24 W via the ramp on the LEFT. 8.8 mi
 Merge onto I-287 N toward I-80/MAHWAH. 1.4 mi
 Take the RT-10 E exit, EXIT 39, toward WHIPPANY. 0.4 mi
 Merge onto NJ-10. 0.5 mi

Let me know if you are planning on attending and if you need a ride.

Does your au pair take your kids to the pool, beach or lake?
Enroll  them  in our 1/2 credit Water Safety Course  on  May 1, 2010
The course is designed to teach  care givers water safety, drowning prevention and  self help techniques in an aquatic environment.  Hands on training will be provided.
Date: Saturday, May 1, 2010                                                   
Time: 2-5pm
Cost: $60
Credit:    0.5 (1/2 credit)
Location: Maritime Institute Indoor Pool
Bathing suit required
You do not have to know how to swim to participate.

 
Infant and Child CPR and First Aid for Care Givers
This American Red Cross course is designed to certify a care giver in infant and child CPR and also certify them in first aid techniques. 
Date: Saturday June 5, 2010      
Time : 10am-5pm
Cost : $98
Credit: 1 credit
Location: Conference Center at the Maritime Institute

 
TOEFL Review Course
This course is designed for persons where English is a Foreign Language.  The TOEFL test is not included in the weekend.
Whether you are  planning  on taking the TOEFL test or not ,  this course will help reinforce skills in reading comprehension, writing, listening and speaking English.
Date: Friday, August 6, 2010- Sunday, August 8, 2010
Time: 7pm Friday, August 6, 2010
Cost: $392, After July 9, 2010 $417
Credit: 36 classroom hours with paper
             3 CEU no paper
Location: Conference Center at the Maritime Institute
  
 
 
Summer Weekend Course Registration
May 1-2, 2010 Child Development and American Government
June 5-6, 2010 Experiencing America
July 10-11, 2010 American Culture and Personal Development
August 7-8, 2010 American Language, Culture and Tourism

if the au pair attends a weekend course the hotel room in the conference center is included in the course fee.   If an au pair would like to attend the one day or half day  course and want to spend the night they are more than welcome.  The reduced rooms rate is $90 single occupancy which can be split among a maximum of 3 au pairs. If the au pair doesn’t drive or the family doesn’t want them to drive to MD the hotel van picks up from several local public transportation locations.  The conference center is 7 minutes from BWI Airport and the BWI Amtrak Station.  Au Pairs from PA can take the train or Super Shuttle.  The Super Shuttle drops off at BWI Airport.  We don’t recommend the bus because the stop in Baltimore is too far from the conference center and requires at least two other modes of transportation to get to the final destination.
 
 Onsite Rereation: Health club; 50-ft. indoor pool, racquetball court, game room, jogging-running trails.

                                                                       
 
Any questions please email or call
Angela Garnett
Program Coordinator
301-213-2404
www.aupairweekend@gmail.com
www.aupairweekend.org

Many of you traveled here in 2009 when most airlines allowed 2 bags to be checked with no extra fee. Unfortunately when you travel home you will likely only be allowed one bag or you will have to pay a fee for the second bag. The fee’s are higher for international flights so please plan on saving money for that expense. Once you are certain of the dates and location you are traveling home from you can go onto your account and request your flight home. At that time CCAP will inform you of any fee’s you may owe to change airports or travel on weekends. Once those fee’s are paid you will get your flight information home, and you can learn the airlines and the restrictions at that time.

I would suggest shipping your extra items home in the least expensive way, it may take many weeks for those items to get home. Also avoid purchasing heavy items while here in the US unless you plan to ship all that extra stuff home.

Please remember you must stay in good standing by attending 10 of the 12 meetings and completing your 6 credits by your 10th month to get your ticket home paid for my Culturalcare.

I hope that helps you at the end of your program year or years if you have extended.

Next courses in Hennepin Technical College this Spring:
 
ESL Business English - 2.1 Credits  March 30 to May 18  Thursdays from 730 to 9:30 pm. $182
 
Expanding Vocabulary: Reading and Discussion.  March 30 to May 18 Thursdays from 6 to 730pm ($182)
 
Seminar for Teaching English as a Second Language.  April 17 and 24 From 9:00 am to 5:00pm   $225  (2 credits)

Cultural Care au pair, Lisa Boeck from Germany was lucky enough to attend the 2010 Vancouver Olympics this winter to watch her host dad, Todd Lodwick, win a silver medal as part of the U.S. Nordic Combined Ski Team! She wrote to us about her amazing experience below:

When I signed up for this program, I had NO IDEA what I would experience during this year and a half of being an au pair in the United States. I mean, I knew that I was going to live with an athlete who is pretty popular in the United States but I personally had never heard of him before and couldn’t picture living with a famous person.

When I found out that my host dad was going to compete in the XXI Winter Olympic Games 2010 in Vancouver, I thought I was dreaming. The thought of it seemed unreal and far away but in the blink of an eye, February 2010 was there and I found myself on an airplane to Vancouver with my host mum and two kids.

When we arrived in Vancouver, we got picked up by my host mum’s parents and drove to Whistler where the Nordic events were going to take place and where we had rented a condo. Not having seen their dad in two weeks, of course the kids were dying to go see him and give him a hug. But since he was a competitor, he had to live in the “Athlete’s Village”, which was about 20 minutes from where we stayed. The security was pretty tough, so it was hard to get in. Also, the athletes had a strict training schedule and events they had to attend so we didn’t get to see my host dad very often; actually only during the competitions and one or two nights for dinner.

The day of the competition it was raining hard in the morning when we left the house. We took the car into Whistler to get on the bus, which took us to the Olympic Park. Everyone was bundled up in ski-clothes and outerwear, not to forget the umbrella! I carried my little girl in a carrier on by back while my host mum was carrying my little boy.

Everything was so exciting! I couldn’t believe that we were really on our way to an Olympic event where my host dad was competing! Fortunately we had support from my host mum’s parents and her brother and his family and two kids. During the event, I tried to keep the kids busy and entertained, so we built little snow castles and played in the snow. It was fun! After his jumps, my host dad came over to see his children. It was the cutest thing! He lifted them up, cuddled them and gave them big kisses. The kids were so happy and proud! You could feel their happiness by taking a look at their bright smiley faces!

After the jumping, we took a shuttle bus over to the cross-country course, where the second part of the Nordic Combined competition was going to take place. We used the almost two hours waiting before the race started to get a bite to eat and go sledding. The kids had so much fun and so did I! Then during the race, my little girl and I cheered her Dad on by waving USA-flags, ringing bells and yelling as loud as we could! It was really intense! I had goose bumps and felt like 10,000 ants were dancing mambo in my stomach. The kids seemed like they knew exactly what was going on. My little girl freaked out when she heard that her Daddy got a medal! She was so happy and kept yelling: “My Daddy got a medal!” It was the cutest thing! My little boy felt all the excitement around him and started clapping with a big smile on his face! It was an explosion of emotions, unbelievable and hard to describe!

I only went cross-country skiing twice, so I am not too familiar with this sport. I really enjoyed watching it though because it is so intense. Especially if it is like it was that day, on and off, leading and falling back again.

Those two weeks up there in Canada flew by like it was a dream. But when I look at the pictures in the newspaper, all the articles, the TV coverage and, of course, when I see the Silver Medal sitting on the mantel in the living room, then I realize that it was NOT just a dream! It was all for real and I was there! Lifetime memories that I definitely wouldn’t want to miss!

We often find that au pairs will come to the end of the year having amassed a significant number of items they’ve purchased and collected throughout the course of their year. As airlines are imposing higher fees for baggage in general as well as for overweight bags, please think strategically about how you will get all of your belongings home at the end of their year. One idea would be to think about visitors who may come throughout the year and send items back with them to avoid these fees and the stressful challenge regarding what to do with all this stuff! It also may be cheaper to send some things home via mail in so long as these items are not sent via priority overnight service. Lastly, while it may be difficult to part with some things, it can also be helpful to do some spring cleaning and weed out the items that they may be better off throwing out or giving away. Whatever the best solution is for you, it’s important that these questions are explored so that you don’t end up having to make last-minute and very expensive decisions. Thinking ahead about these things can save time, anxiety, and money.

If you have trendy clothes that you would like to get rid of, consider taking them to Plato’s Closet in Exton and elsewhere.  They will purchase items from you that they feel they can sell.  Buffalo Exchange downtown also does the same thing.  Other items may be appreciated by a friend whose year is not yet over.  And there are many charitable organizations that re-sell clothes in thrift stores, or give the items to needy people.

http://www.platoscloset.com/about_us.html

http://www.buffaloexchange.com/

http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf  

http://www.goodwill.org/get-involved/donate/

As part of Cultural Care Au Pair’s mission to break down barriers of culture and language through educational exchange, a group of local childcare coordinators and staff recently visited South Africa to see firsthand the difference the donations from the Cultural Care community have made through our charitable organization Kids First.

Since it’s inception in 2004, Kids First has supported many worldwide organizations that work with at-risk youth. From the daycare center in Brazil to the school library in New Orleans to an orphanage in Russia, Kids First has supported a wide range of global organizations. Our most recent work at an orphanage and daycare center in a poverty-stricken township outside Capetown, South Africa is another great example of the work we are doing worldwide.

Cultural Care staff and LCCs had an opportunity to visit several projects funded through CHOSA, an organization that Kids First supports. CHOSA provides support to programs that work with at-risk children and their families to provide nutrition, medication, clothing, food, shelter and an education.

During the service visit, those who participated had a chance to visit the Ubuhle Babantwana Care Center, which helps 150 children, some of whom are HIV positive. Donations received from au pairs, host families and Cultural Care LCCs and staff have provided funds for the building of a new structure for the infants and toddlers in the center. The group from Cultural Care Au Pair had an opportunity to see the new structure, meet the inspirational director and dedicated teachers and had some time to play with the children.

In addition, the group visited the Ilitha-Labantwana Place of Safety, the Philani Child Health and Nutrition Project, the Emasithandane Children’s Project and the Baphumulele Children’s Home. The Cultural Care team is now bringing their experience back to the U.S. to raise awareness, and additional funds for even more projects that Kids First supports.

“Our Kids First trip to Cape Town was truly amazing and inspiring,” says Local Childcare Coordinator Trudy Mar. “The work, effort, love and sacrifice the women heading up these projects give to all of the kids goes well beyond what most of us could imagine. If one little body sleeps better, eats better and smiles more, we’ve helped to change their future and make the world a better place. Every dollar we raise for Kids First definitely does make a difference.”

For information about how you can make a contribution to Kids First, or raise awareness for the programs it supports, visit http://www.culturalcare.com/aboutus/kidsfirst/ or contact your Local Childcare Coordinator.

The spring season represents new beginnings — which makes now a great time to secure childcare by hosting a Cultural Care au pair.

Families who apply between March 1, 2010 and March 31, 2010 are entitled to a $350 program fee discount. The weekly cost is just $330—or $7.30/hr (per family, not per child).

To qualify for this discount, families must be new to Cultural Care Au Pair and welcome an au pair into their home by October 22, 2010. Please contact me for more information and promo code…

1. The email families receive with the invitation to complete the survey comes from “Cultural Care Au Pair” with sender email address no-reply@culturalcare.com.

2. The subject header for the email invitation is “Cultural Care Au Pair - Customer Satisfaction Survey”.

3. Even if a family has requested to not receive marketing-related emails from Cultural Care, they will receive the survey invitation as part of our customer service communication.

4. Last year we removed the short survey for host families submitting their repeat application so there should be no confusion regarding which survey they are being asked to complete.

It’s $1 mania night so we can bowl for $5.00 plus $1 per game and $1 for shoes.  Most au pairs like to bowl 2 games so that would be $8.00 total - a great deal!
 
Please arrive at 6:45 so you can get your shoes, your bowling ball, etc.  Be prepared to have a great time with your au pair friends!  Doesn’t matter if you  bowl well or not.

Bring your Au Pair friends, even if they aren’t in our group!  (Just let me know so I can make sure we have enough space!)

Arrived 3/12/2010

There has been some questions as to whether or not au pairs need to file a federal tax return or not.  Au Pairs do not need to pay social security or medicare however they could be responsible for federal taxes depending on the amount of stipend they received.  As a general rule ALL au pairs should file a tax return, most will not owe any taxes but in some cases depending on when they arrived in the U.S. they could owe some tax.  See below some information from Cultural Care Au Pair:

Basically, our advice to host families and au pairs is that all au pairs need to file taxes for stipend earned in a given tax year. The IRS is pretty clear that they are not treated as “normal students” for tax purposes and are those not automatically exempt from federal income taxes. Au pairs will need a Individual Taxpayer ID Number (”ITIN”) for this (looks like a social security number, but starts with the digit “9″).

Most au pairs, especially those who arrive in the summer, will owe little or no tax - they are allowed to claim the personal exemption ($3,650 for 2009) but are not allowed the standard deduction. The maximum tax bracket for their income would be 10% so they usually will be paying 10% of their received stipend minus the $3,650 exemption.

It is easiest to just have them file regardless of arrival date or expected tax burden, rather than trying to do these calculations with them, we advise that they just file the 1040NR-EZ form (www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040nre.pdf).